Epochs
by Keldan
Summary: Glimpses into the mind of the Lone Power, vicariously through Nita. Not particularly set into any sort of time frame that the books provide, simply some drabbles I wrote. Nita x Lone Power
1. Obsessions

So. My first posting. These are simply some drabbles I've written, centering on the Lone Power, who is really my favorite character in the Young Wizards series. They've all got a very Nita/LP pairing slant, because... well, because it makes sense, and I do love those strange "romances," if you can call this that.

**I would love some reviews. Thanks for reading!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Lone Power, Nita, or anything to do with the Young Wizards series. Diane Duane does. Lucky duck.**

The Lone Power was not a patient man, insofar as It was a man at all. It had been attempting for quite some time now to bring about a certain young wizard's doom... this was what It did all the time, of course, but this particular wizard had captured Its attention. It wasn't sure why, but the betrayal and subsequent downfall of one Nita Callahan seemed somehow very important.

And finally, It was wondering exactly _why_ that was. It had never stopped to think about it before. Perhaps It was simply Its need for a more focused goal than "Spread Entropy." Spreading Entropy was all well and good, but spending time and energy on something so specific as a moving target, to prove Itself, must be one of Its reasons for being so obsessed with her... mustn't it?

Obsession, yes, that was what it was, It decided. That was the correct term. It made sense, in a way. In a way It hated. Humans had been shaped by the Powers That Be, including Itself... but the Powers often overlooked just how much They Themselves had been shaped by humans. Obsession, love, anger... these would not have come into the existences of the Powers had not humans themselves invented them. The Lone One, in Its infinite wisdom, could see now just how much It had been shaped by them as well...

It was obsessed; obsessed with possessing a single lowly human. And somehow It couldn't bring Itself to care.


	2. What's In a Name?

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Lone Power, Nita, or anything to do with the Young Wizards series. Diane Duane does. Lucky duck.**

The Lone Power sometimes wished He had a real name.

His True Name, yes, it described Him, but it was folly to reveal your True Name to anyone. Even the humans, in their countless different versions of the same mythology, recognized the threat that would pose. If He were to reveal His True Name He could be changed irrevocably.

"Lone Power" was not short enough to be easily used. "Fairest and Fallen," while immensely true, did not exactly roll off the tongue. "It" was short and sweet (in the worst way possible), but lacked a certain style.

And so, as Nita screamed wordlessly into the void He found himself wishing, just once, that He had a name. A name that she could use to curse Him. A name that she could whisper into His ear as she lay dying, a name that she could call Him by as she drew in her last shuddering breath. A name that He could hear from her lips alone.

But He knew she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. That was why He let her live.


	3. Dreams

**There we go! It's been a bit, I know, but I got busy. Oh noes!**

**Anyway...**

**Thanks for the reviews! Yes, I'm hoping to spread the bad word about LP/Nita. It's really my favorite pairing. And so much less popular than Kit/Nita, which makes it even better. Hehe.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Wizards™ or anything to do with it, really, except a few of the books. Please don't sue me, Mister Lawyer Man! (Or Miss Lawyer Woman, as my feminist consciousness is pleased to interject.)**

Nita was dreaming.

The Lone Power knew this, because He had caused the dream. He was not sure whether it was a lucid dream or not; most likely not, if He was involved. He tended to wrest control from others.

He was standing in a pool of source-less light, surrounded by darkness, a setting that seemed strangely familiar to Him. Across from Him, but seemingly miles away, He could just see Nita, standing in another pool of light. He took a step forward, and was in front of her.

Nita looked surprised for a moment, but the expression passed quickly, setting instead into a sort of determined resignation. She stepped closer to Him (a move that was not entirely necessary) and opened her mouth to say something.

"Yes, yes, Greeting and Defiance, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera," the Lone One said before she could. "I do wish you would come up something a little more original."

"Would you rather I greet you with a rude hand gesture?" she asked, and her own hand twitched, as if wanting to do just that.

He ignored her and continued. "You've got the brain for so much better things... why don't you use it?"

She remained silent. Then, suddenly: "Why are you here? Why am I your target?" she asked.

And then, as she was about to step backward, she found she could no longer move. She could see in her mind's eye how she must look: Frozen in time, between expressions, one foot getting ready to move backward. She thought she looked ridiculous.

Apparently this was _not_ a lucid dream, after all.

The Lone Power stepped forward and circled her once, slowly, like a vulture. His hands were behind His back and He looked, in His dark suit, like a businessman pondering an exhibit in a museum.

He reached out and took a lock of her hair in His hand, rolling it gently (not something she thought Him capable of) between His fingers. She wasn't really sure whether was supposed to be capable of feeling, but it felt something now—the Death lingering just beneath His skin seemed to seep out and into her hair, climbing up the strands and making its way to her follicles. It spread out through her entire body from there.

She would have shivered, if she could move. As it was, the _urge_ to shiver simply started several times and then stopped, staying just within her consciousness, itching at her. He smiled, and it was a satisfied smile, but still had that edge of unpleasantness that most of His smiles had.

"Such a lovely color for hair, black," he remarked, as if He was commenting on the weather. "It reminds me so much of the Void." She tried to frown, but couldn't. "Of course the Void is such an absolute black that hair doesn't even come close, but it's enough for me to make a pleasant connection every time I see it."

_Why did you come here?_ she thought. _Just to torture me?_

She didn't expect him to hear her, but he did. "Why, I didn't come here just to torture you," he said, feigning a hurt expression, which almost immediately went back to his satisfied smile. "I came here just for _you_."


	4. Games

Hey, guys! Sorry I took so long to update... lost interest slightly until I got a copy of Wizards at War from the library I work at a couple days ago. Boy is it good so far!

A few general replies to reviews before we get to the story, perhaps? First: Thanks a bunch for 'em! I'm not a big fanfic-writer but getting reviews just tickles me pink. Danke! Also, please note that isn't really a continuing story; each chapter is just a random, unconnected drabble about our own Loney and Nita. I may do a few connected ones later (this one might be considered connected, for instance), but for now these are really just exercises in getting their voices down and all that good stuff. Oh, and Reading Redhead: You're right about her hair color, I think. It _is_ "light brunette" as Wizards at War confirmed. I blame the cover on my original copy of So You Want To Be a Wizard, on which Nita most definitely had black hair. Hehe. Oh, well. We'll just put it down to poetic license and leave it at that. And thanks very much again to everyone who reviewed, especially the more detailed ones. I'd love some constructive criticism if anyone's willing to give it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Nita, the Lone Power, or anything else here. Diane Duane does. Although it's hard to believe that anyone could own Him...

Nita continued to have strange dreams involving her Enemy. They often didn't last long, nor did they really seem to mean anything. He simply came to her in her sleep, said seemingly innocent things, smirked a little, and then she would wake up.

Needless to say, it was a distinctly frustrating experience.

She considered asking Kit about them, but for some reason had the inexplicable and slightly shameful feeling that he might somehow mistake think she was being corrupted or overshadowed. She wasn't sure why she felt this way. She wasn't sure of anything anymore, and she hated it. She hated Him for confusing her so.

Then one night, He came strolling up to her in the usual setting, darkness except for a dim, sourceless light over herself and Him. He waved his hand, and something entirely unexpected appeared.

A chess board.

He motioned for her to sit. She did. She didn't particularly want to, but it seemed that something or Someone saw fit to make her "Lone Dreams," as she had taken to calling them, non-lucid ones. She could no more control herself in them than she could if she were a puppet on strings.

"What is it with villains and chess?" she heard herself asking. It was a good question, she thought, with a brief nanosecond of pride.

"Villains often think themselves of superior logic and reasoning skills," He said. "One of my more misguided inventions. It seems that, instead of giving them the confidence and skills they need to make havoc, it often leads to their downfall. But I am the ultimate chess master," he finished, and smiled somewhat lopsidedly at her. It was a surprisingly... _human_ expression.

"I never would have thought you'd bother playing a human game," Nita said, considering the board. She made the first move.

"What do you think Life and Death _are_ besides a very human game?" he asked. He moved without hesitating.

It was strange, sitting in the darkness, playing a board game with a being that was, for all intents and purposes, a god. She supposed her mind was using chess as a simple way of putting across the idea of the cosmic struggle against Entropy to her. She didn't find this very reassuring, especially since she barely knew the rules to chess, let alone anything else.

She lost.


	5. Sick Dreams

Thanks once again for all the reviews, guys… and sorry this took so long! I have long periods of time between inspirations.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Young Wizards, Nita, the Lone Power, or anything. Er, besides some stuff that has nothing to do with that stuff. Yeah.

Nita had the flu.

Itchy, sneezy, snotty, achy, flu. The kind of flu that made for absolutely miserable days and even more miserable nights. Because when she finally managed to get to sleep, she had sick-dreams.

Nita had always had weird dreams when she was sick; but they were made ten times worse now because of Him.

Tonight, she fell asleep at a little past three in the morning. Sheer exhaustion overtook her in an ambush and she slumped into her pillows and closed her eyes.

The familiar darkness surrounded her as she fell into a dream. He stood in front of her, looking strangely blurry… waxy, or fake, or not completely there. She didn't know. She didn't particularly care.

Always on the outside looking in, He said.

What do you mean? she said.

Never truly there… He said.

What do you _mean_? she said.

You'll probably never know, He said.

Frustrated.

I hate you, she said.

I know, He said.

Why do you like it? she said.

Why do you? He said.

I don't, she said.

So you say, He said.

Angry.

Why do you do these things? she said.

Why shouldn't I? He said.

Because it's wrong, she said.

So you say, He said.

Tired.

Go away, she said.

Why should I? He said.

I DON'T KNOW, she said.

Exactly, He said.

Nita woke up, tangled in her sheets, sweat making her feel clammy. She stared at her ceiling. She pondered. She thought. She waited. No reason came.


End file.
